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On February 21, 1996, CUC International executed a US$1.8 billion stock swap to acquire Davidson & Associates (including Blizzard Entertainment) and Sierra On-Line, two American video game companies.[1] CUC International previously only operated membership shopping clubs, wherefore analysts were supprised by the company's move into the software industry.[1] Subsequently following the acquisitions, CUC International established CUC Software around the Torrance, California-based operations of Davidson & Associates to oversee the new video game properties.[2] Under that new umbrella, both Davidson & Associates and Sierra On-Line would act independently from CUC International.[3] Bod Davidson, co-fonder of Davidson & Associates, became chairman and chief executive of the new establishment.[4] On November 5 that year, CUC International announced that they would additionally acquire Knowledge Adventure, another developer, in a stock deal valued between $50 million and US$100 million.[4] The acquisition was completed on February 3, 1998.[2] On February 10, Davidson announced that he had stepped down from his positions at CUC Software, while his wife, Jan, ceased being president of Davidson & Associates, while both Davidsons stayed on CUC International's board of directors.[2] Christopher McLeod, an executive vice-president for CUC International, took over CUC Software in Bob Davidson's place.[2] In April 1997, CUC International acquired Berkeley Systems for an undisclosed sum.[5]

On May 28, 1997, CUC International announced plans to merge with Hospitality Franchise Systems to create a single, "one-stop" entity.[6][7] The merger was finalized in December that year and created Cendant.[8] As a result of the merger, CUC Software was renamed Cendant Software.[9] On November 20, 1998, French media company Havas acquired Cendant Software for $800 million in cash and up to $200 million contingent on the performance of Cendant Software.[10][11] Subsequently, the division was renamed Havas Interactive.[12] On May 16, 2001, Havas Interactive was renamed Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing, while its direct parent, Havas, became Vivendi Universal Publishing.[13] Under the new name, the company was split into to parts: Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing North America and Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing International, both of which took responsibility for their respective publishing regions.[13] On November 13 that year, both parts were streamlined under the name Vivendi Universal Games.[14] When Vivendi sold all of its media operations to General Electric in October 2003, Vivendi Universal held on to Vivendi Universal Games, which was re-organized as a direct division of the conglomerate.[15] On March 3, 2006, Vivendi Universal renamed itself Vivendi, and Vivendi Universal Games was parallely renamed Vivendi Games.[16] The same day, the company opened a mobile games division known as Vivendi Games Mobile.[17]